License Plate ②

次回、この記事の日本語版を投稿します。

In the previous post　“License ①” we saw an example of licenses plates that were attached around the head tube.  In this post we shall take a look at license or registration plates that were attached to the back of the rear fender.

Here is what they look like when new. It bears the name of the town it was registered in; much like a license plate on today's automobiles which bear the city or state/prefecture.

For those of you that can read Chinese characters, note the old character used in the Japanese word for bicycle JITENSHA.

This one comes from Akita Prefecture way up in northern Japan.

This is a very old and weather worn license plate with much of the paint long gone. Even the numbers are in Chinese characters.

In the next installment of this series on license plates we will take a look at yet another different and unique design.